FIG. 1 depicts a schematic diagram of telecommunications system 100 in the prior art. System 100 comprises telecommunications network 101 and communication endpoints 102-1 through 102-10, interconnected as shown.
Telecommunications network 101 is a network that provides telecommunications access and connectivity to the depicted communication endpoints. Network 101 is managed by one or more telecom providers or operators, and provides bandwidth for various communications services and network access to communication endpoints, such as endpoints 102-1 through 102-10. One of the services provided by network 101 is teleconferencing, including audio, web, and video teleconferencing. A “teleconference” is a conference, or other formal meeting for discussion, with participants in different locations linked by telecommunications devices.
Each communication endpoint 102-i, wherein i is a positive integer, is a node or terminal that provides access to one or more telecommunications services, such as audio or video conferencing, for one or more people or machines, or both. The communication endpoints can be within one or more communications service provider (CSP) networks or one or more enterprise networks, or both.
FIG. 2 depicts conference roster 200 in the prior art. Conference roster 200 is a representation of the one or more teleconferences that are being managed by telecommunications network 101 at any given moment, and that are being attended by one or more participants through their corresponding endpoints. As depicted, Conference 1 is being attended by Bob, Carol, and Ted on endpoints 102-1, 102-9, and 102-4, respectively. These endpoints are tied into Conference 1 through Conference Bridge 1, which can be referring to a distinct piece of equipment. Conference 1 is also being attended by Alice, John, Paul, and Jane on endpoints 102-2, 102-7, 102-5, and 102-6, respectively. These endpoints are tied into Conference 1 through Conference Bridge 2, which refers to a distinct piece of equipment that is different from Bridge 1. In general, one or more teleconference bridges can be used to support all of the endpoints associated with a given teleconference, and, at any given moment, one or more teleconferences can be either scheduled to occur or in progress, or both.
Conference roster 200 is typically presented on a display and viewable by a teleconference administrator or other user, who has the responsibility of administering, at some predetermined level of control, one or more teleconferences while they are proceeding. The conference roster is typically viewable through a web browser or some other type of display application, which presents the roster information to the administrator.
In regard to the teleconference participants themselves, all participants on a given teleconference have in common the fact that they are all on the same teleconference. In addition, some participants in a given teleconference might have one or more additional attributes in common that, at the same time, are not possessed by one or more other participants in the same teleconference. Some of these attributes might be relevant to the teleconference, and managing such relevant attributes would be beneficial to the teleconference.